As Paul Butler pointed out in his excellent editorial ("Travails of a
Skunk Bear," March 1), the news that wolverines are still roaming
Washington is exciting.

The last time I saw a wolverine in the North Cascades was in 1979.
Although much has changed since then, apparently the park and adjoining
wilderness and roadless areas may yet compose a habitat extensive and
secluded enough for such a secretive animal--and we’re talking Sasquatch
secretive--to feel at home.

In the mid ’80s, while backpacking on the volcanic flanks of Alaska’s
remote Mount Katmai, I surprised a wolverine crossing my path 20 yards
ahead. He reacted not by baring his teeth and snarling, but by getting the
hell out of there to the relative safety of a steep cliff formed by a
geologically recent lava flow. The animal leapt up from ledge to ledge
with the fluid grace of a furry brown waterfall flowing in reverse. Within
a few seconds he scaled a pitch that would have meant half an hour of
effort for a skilled rock climber.

The encounter made me realize that, contrary to their notorious
reputation for ferocity, wolverines will go to great lengths to avoid
people. Clearly, in order to thrive, sensitive species like wolverine
require vast expanses of wild land and a minimum of human activity.

It was disheartening, then, to learn that Melanie, the young female
live-trapped at Harts Pass, fled through the Pasayten Wilderness to Canada
after her ordeal. Interminable imprisonment in a coffin-sized box, being
jabbed and tranquilized, and awakening to find herself surrounded by
people--with tags in her ears and a burdensome collar around her
neck--proved to be too much stress to endure.

In a recent Seattle Times article, Forest Service biologist Keith Aubry
stated, "...the best way to ensure wolverines continue in Washington is to
learn as much about this population as we can." Further knowledge is
important, but surely adequate information can be discovered through the
use of remote cameras and other less disruptive methods. Terrifying them
to the point that they leave the country won’t ensure that wolverines will
continue here. The lessons we should learn from Melanie’s ordeal are that
wolverines don’t react favorably to intrusive studies and that they are
vulnerable to the lure of a baited trap.

Now Melanie faces the grave danger of being trapped for her pelt,
since, unlike Washington and many other states and countries, Canadian
provinces persist in allowing the archaic tradition of fur trapping.

Last winter in British Colombia, my dog found the chewed-off foreleg of
a lynx that the animal had sacrificed in a last, desperate effort to
escape a merciless leg-hold trap. Although there is currently no open
season on wolverine in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, traps are
not always specific to the species they are set for. Twice I’ve had to
rescue dogs caught in traps. A trap baited with carrion can catch just
about any hungry carnivore that happens along. There is an ongoing season
on raccoon in southern B.C., and Melanie could easily have been snared in
a trap set for an animal that size.

Those monitoring the radio signal assume she slipped out of her collar;
but until they make the effort to retrieve it, we don’t really know if she
is free or if she was stuck in a trap, poisoned or starved to death.

Throughout history, trapping has been the greatest threat to the
existence of wolverines and their kin. Entire populations have been wiped
out across the country, from the Sierra Nevada range to the southern
Rockies, and from the Cascades to the Minnesota woodlands.

In their 1927 book entitled Mammals and Birds of Mount Rainier National
Park, biologists Walter Taylor and William Shaw give accounts of
Washington wolverines trapped and poisoned around the turn of the century.
The authors write, "The wolverine, if ever common, has undergone a marked
decrease throughout the Cascade Range, probably due to the increasing
price put on his pelt by the fur trade."

Washington’s voter-approved trapping ban is still under attack by those
bent on returning us to the days when animals like wolverines were seen as
nothing more than "fur-bearers," whose suffering and eradication were just
part of doing business. Legislators have been considering a bill that
would once again legalize the sale of fur from trapped animals.

Anyone concerned about the future of reclusive animals like wolverines
here in Washington should contact their representatives and urge them to
vote "no" on SB 5319; and to help secure the habitat they need, contact
Sen. Maria Cantwell and let her know you support her "Roadless
Conservation Act."

Considering current and historic threats to the existence of wolverines
in Washington, the best way to ensure they continue here is simply to
allow them their space, free from the terrors of cruel and indiscriminate
traps.

Even back in 1927, authors Taylor and Shaw had the foresight to observe
that, "Where possible, the balance of nature should be left to establish
itself."

Jim Robertson is a wildlife photographer and animal advocate.

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